"And you, of course, are a paragon of honesty."
He conceded that point with a regal incline of his head and a half smile. "Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind. And I very much suspect you will."
"Don't swear off drinking blood until that happens," I said, "because you might well starve."
Amusement crinkled the corners of his brown eyes. "I'm tempted to ask if you'd like to bet on that, but I suspect you are not the betting kind."
"Not on stuff like this." I crossed my legs, and his gaze briefly dropped. It was only then I remembered I was wearing a short skirt. I cleared my throat softly, drawing his gaze upward again. "Can we get back to the reason I'm here now?"
"Indeed we can." He leaned back in the chair again, his expression still amused. "What do you wish to know about our Ms. Jodie Summer?"
"For a start, have you used her before?"
"No. Whenever we need to cover a shift, we simply ring the agency."
"And that agency is Classique?"
"Yes." He reached to the left of his desk, picked up a business card, and handed it to me. It was the same card I'd gotten from the manager at the other venue. I flipped the card over, but there was nothing written on the back. "Have you got a contact there? I might have to talk to them."
"Either James Parred or Catherine Moore should be able to help you. I've dealt with both."
"Thanks." I tucked the card into my handbag. "Is there anything you can tell me about Ms. Summer? Did you notice anything unusual about her?"
"Aside from the fact she was neither human, shifter, nor vampire, you mean?"
I half smiled. "Yeah, besides that."
"No, because she had some sort of shield operating that I could not slip past." He hesitated. "It was neither a nano shield such as the one you wear, nor one of magic."